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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. toast — bread
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. net — after costs
  19. mark — a trace
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — in sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — child

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