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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pass — a permit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — the amount
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — all right
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. row — a line
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — to paddle

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