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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. current — electric
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — music
  16. current — of water
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — to visit
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — soda
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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