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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. present — a gift
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. key — the most important part
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — to point toward
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — in music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stand — to bear

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