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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — child
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. season — of the year
  14. present — there
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — to tease
  17. present — a gift
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — the time now
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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