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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: saw · court · bay · mate · calf · straw · pitcher · lean

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — for sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lean — thin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — of law
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — a partner

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