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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: present · drill · calf · pit · lash · clip · spring · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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. pit — a fruit stone
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — army training
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pit — in a race
  10. drill — the tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pit — a hole
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — a practice
  21. present — there
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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