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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kid — child
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — letters
  5. mate — to breed
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mate — a friend
  11. clip — a video
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — magic
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. spell — a short time
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rush — hurry

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