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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. capital — money
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. object — to protest
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. capital — a city

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