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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. track — a path
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. track — a song
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rule — a law
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stock — goods
  16. rule — government
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rest — a break
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — child
  23. drill — army training
  24. track — to keep track

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