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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — a video
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — in a race
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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