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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. court — of a king
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mug — to rob
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — help
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. court — of law
  14. object — an aim
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — for sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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