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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: clip · date · bay · suit · file · mouse · calf · kid

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kid — child
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. suit — in cards
  10. file — a line of people
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a document
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. kid — to tease
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — for paper
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. clip — a video
  24. mouse — the 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