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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kid — to tease
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. last — finally
  22. kid — child
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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