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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 124 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. file — a document
  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