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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mark — a trace
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. shower — rain
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — help
  24. lean — to bend

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