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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — not warm
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — an illness
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cue — for pool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wake — a trail
  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