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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. track — a song
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. track — a path
  10. kick — in football
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. file — a tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. mark — a trace

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