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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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. arm — part of the body
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pop — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. game — a match
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pop — soda
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. game — wild animals

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