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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · calf · straw · chest · toast · race

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. race — humankind
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — bread
  13. drill — a practice
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. race — the arms race
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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