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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. craft — boats
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — a thing
  7. squash — to crush
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bass — low music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. field — a subject
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. object — to protest
  24. field — farmland

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