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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lean — thin
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rash — a series
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cold — an illness
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. foot — a measure
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — hasty

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