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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rock — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. key — the most important part
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a document
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rock — a stone

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