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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. hand — help
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rule — a law
  6. ground — a position
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — in football
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. stock — goods
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stock — shares
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — in cards
  17. staff — employees
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rule — government
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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