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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — low music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mark — a grade

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