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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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. wound — an injury
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. game — a match
  5. season — of the year
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hand — help
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — steady
  15. game — wild animals
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. firm — a company
  20. wound — an injury
  21. firm — decided
  22. season — in sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. sharp — exactly

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