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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — after costs
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pop — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pop — soda
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — in sport
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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