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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cue — a hint
  4. content — the amount
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — happy
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. object — an aim
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a tool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. object — to protest
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. file — a document
  22. object — a thing
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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