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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. present — a gift
  4. mate — a friend
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — certain
  9. clip — to cut
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. present — the time now
  13. mate — a partner
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. clip — a video
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. present — there
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mate — to breed
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. clip — for paper

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