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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — the season
  4. file — a tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitcher — a jug

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