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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
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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: game · shower · calf · press · straw · wind · scale · mark

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — rain
  5. scale — in music
  6. press — to push
  7. mark — a trace
  8. press — newspapers
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — a grade
  19. press — a publisher
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — wild animals
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a match

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