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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — finally
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. staff — a stick
  19. last — final
  20. staff — employees
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a match
  24. staff — employees

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