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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. object — a thing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — an aim
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ground — the earth
  8. clip — to cut
  9. toast — bread
  10. object — to protest
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. last — final
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. calf — a young animal

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