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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. staff — a stick
  5. face — to confront
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. present — a gift
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. present — there
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cue — for pool
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cue — a hint
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — a video
  23. present — the time now
  24. cue — a signal

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