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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 124 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. root — of a word
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — the cause
  24. calf — a young animal

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