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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. key — for a lock
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mug — a cup
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — finally
  9. tube — a container
  10. mug — a face
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — to confront
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. key — in music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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