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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — after costs
  16. field — for sport
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — for catching
  21. field — a subject
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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