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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. saw — the tool
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — of the year
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mouse — the animal

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