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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — music
  4. last — final
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mate — a partner
  10. last — finally
  11. lean — to bend
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — to go on
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lean — to rest against

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