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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. snap — to click
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. last — final
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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