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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — to come down
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. plane — a tool
  11. land — a country
  12. content — the amount
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — ground
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. content — happy
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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