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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: pit · last · bay · mine · mug · roll · chest · calf

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a face
  3. last — finally
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a list
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. chest — a box
  12. pit — a hole
  13. roll — a cake
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chest — of your body

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