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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 120 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cue — a hint
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cue — for pool
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spring — the season
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kick — in football
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cue — a signal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. shower — to wash

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