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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — to crush
  11. court — of a king
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — the sport
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. temple — a place of worship

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