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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. dip — to sink
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. sharp — clever
  9. file — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. file — a document
  14. bound — obliged
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rush — hurry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. saw — the tool

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