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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — magic
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — a subject
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. court — for sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. field — farmland
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. field — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spell — letters

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