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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: rash · face · lean · straw · ball · land · calf · cold

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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. ball — a dance
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lean — thin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — a country
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — hasty
  16. land — ground
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lean — to bend
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. calf — a young animal

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