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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ball — a dance
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spring — the season
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — child
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of a tree

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