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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: cue · rock · straw · saw · club · calf · date · last

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — for pool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. last — to go on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. date — the fruit
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. last — final
  17. club — a group
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — a stone
  22. club — for golf
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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