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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a dance
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. race — humankind
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. perch — the fish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. race — a contest
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lean — thin
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — to bend

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