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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. face — part of the head
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. face — to confront
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pop — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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