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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cue — a hint
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — a signal
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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