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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — to go on
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. can — a tin
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — to cut
  18. last — final
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — before a funeral

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