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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — a match
  8. row — a line
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spell — a short time
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rush — a thrill

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