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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — an illness
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hand — help
  18. capital — money
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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