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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. file — a tool
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mug — a face
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — employees
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — farmland
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. ground — a position
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mug — a cup

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