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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: rash · calf · game · mine · mate · bay · bark · lash

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — to breed
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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