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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. capital — a city
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — money
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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