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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 116 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: straw · calf · drill · craft · perch · mark · rule · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. drill — army training
  9. rule — government
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. perch — the fish
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rule — a law
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — the tool

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