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

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bound — certain
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. row — a line
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bay — a horse colour

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