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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. object — to protest
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — thin
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. object — a thing
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. clip — a video
  23. object — an aim
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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