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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spell — letters
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. land — to come down
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. land — ground
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spell — magic
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — a country
  24. mine — for digging

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