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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 120 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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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: mug · calf · bay · cold · kick · firm · clip · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mark — a trace
  4. firm — decided
  5. mug — to rob
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mug — a face
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. firm — steady
  17. kick — in football
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. firm — a company
  22. cold — not warm
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mark — a grade

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