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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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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: rule · bay · calf · roll · pitcher · clip · rock · spring

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — government
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — a law
  6. roll — a list
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spring — the season
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rock — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rock — a stone
  23. clip — for paper
  24. calf — a young animal

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