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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hand — in cards
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cap — of ice
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. dip — to sink
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cap — a hat

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