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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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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — finally
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. ground — crushed
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. last — final
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — a position
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. ground — the earth

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