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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pit — in a race
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pit — a hole
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to click
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fine — all right
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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