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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kid — to tease
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bass — low music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. board — to get on
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

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