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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. court — of a king
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chair — a leader
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. file — a line of people

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