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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. net — after costs
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — an aim
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. board — a committee
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. object — a thing
  24. board — to get on

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