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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a document
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a line
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ball — a great time
  18. file — a tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bat — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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