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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rule — government
  12. clip — a video
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kid — child
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fork — in a road

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