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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: straw · mine · calf · jam · game · firm · staff · row

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. staff — a stick
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — for digging
  5. row — a line
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. firm — a company
  8. row — to paddle
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. staff — employees
  19. game — a match
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. straw — dry grass

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