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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of a king
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. court — for sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. court — of law

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