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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. scale — in music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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