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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — to paddle
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. net — after costs
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cold — not warm
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. row — a line
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. net — in sport

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