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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mug — a face
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stem — of a plant

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