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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — hasty
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rash — a series
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mark — a grade
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bark — of a tree

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