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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. squash — to crush
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pass — a permit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a tool
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. file — a document
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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