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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fine — all right
  19. cue — a hint
  20. staff — employees
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. staff — employees

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