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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. band — a music group
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — a practice
  16. scale — in music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stock — shares
  22. date — the fruit
  23. scale — size or range
  24. band — a ring

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