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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. object — a thing
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. object — an aim
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. capital — a city
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. object — to protest
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. capital — money
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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