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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cold — not warm
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. row — a line
  11. ground — the earth
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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