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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a line of people
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. file — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a match
  17. file — a document
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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