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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — help
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. clip — to cut
  16. face — part of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. clip — a video
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bay — a horse colour

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