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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — child
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. board — to get on
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. board — a committee
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — with an edge

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