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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · mine · bay · clip · arm · rash · present · calf

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mine — for digging
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — a series
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — there
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — a gift
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. clip — a video
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mine — an explosive

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