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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. object — a thing
  7. rock — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — clever
  11. object — to protest
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rock — a stone
  21. lie — to recline
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bay — a horse colour

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