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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cue — a signal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — a hint

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