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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. game — a match
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. game — wild animals
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. roll — a list
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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