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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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. bat — for baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — the season
  24. ruler — a monarch

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