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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bound — obliged
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — to recline
  10. foot — a measure
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — certain
  24. lie — an untruth

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