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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rash — a series
  5. object — to protest
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — the earth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. object — a thing

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