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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — a measure
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. track — a path
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — to go on
  22. track — a song
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — final

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