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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. file — a tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lean — thin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. toast — bread
  23. bat — the animal
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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