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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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. bowl — to roll
  3. row — a line
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. object — to protest
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — clever
  12. object — a thing
  13. net — in sport
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. net — after costs
  19. hand — in cards
  20. object — an aim
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. toast — bread
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — exactly

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