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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: straw · foot · calf · chair · pitcher · cold · rule · can

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rule — a law
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — government
  17. cold — an illness
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cold — not warm
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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