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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. shower — rain
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bound — certain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bound — tied together
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. net — for catching

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