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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mark — a trace
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. field — for sport
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. sharp — clever
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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