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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — wild animals
  6. object — an aim
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. staff — employees
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. staff — a stick
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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