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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cue — a signal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cue — a hint
  6. sharp — clever
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rash — a series
  12. cue — for pool
  13. club — for golf
  14. lean — to bend
  15. club — a group
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lean — thin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — a division
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. row — to paddle

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