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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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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: tear · fine · straw · calf · ball · cell · pop · chair

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fine — all right
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fine — high quality
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ball — a dance

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