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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mark — a grade
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. scale — in music
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. kid — child
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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