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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — bread
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chest — a box

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