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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — to crush
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. net — after costs
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. firm — a company
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. firm — steady
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. firm — decided
  20. bark — to shout
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. squash — the sport
  24. kid — child

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