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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 120 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. file — a document
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kid — to tease
  10. foot — a measure
  11. file — a tool
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. foot — the bottom

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