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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — a leader
  4. club — for dancing
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. file — a tool
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. file — a document
  11. ground — crushed
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. club — a group
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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