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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bore — to drill
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spell — a short time
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chest — a box

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