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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fall — the season
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. net — in sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — to drop
  10. board — to get on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. board — a committee
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. net — for catching
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com