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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. board — a committee
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. shower — rain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. shower — to wash
  24. calf — of the leg

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