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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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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: pit · hand · club · stick · ball · calf · straw · bear

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. club — for golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. club — a group
  15. hand — help
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. club — for dancing
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pit — in a race
  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