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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hand — help
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mine — for digging
  18. roll — a list
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — part of the body

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