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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mug — a face
  6. clip — a video
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mate — a partner
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mug — to rob
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kid — child

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