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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pit — in a race
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pit — a hole
  10. charge — in control
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — help
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. charge — a price
  23. hand — in cards
  24. row — to paddle

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