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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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