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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rock — a stone
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — child
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — music
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. degree — temperature
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mate — to breed

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