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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. board — a committee
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — clever
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stem — to come from
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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