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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — in football
  5. ground — a position
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — letters
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. straw — dry grass

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