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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
468
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: clip · plane · mine · pitcher · game · bay · row · calf

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — for paper
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. game — a match

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