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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — a song
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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