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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — to come down
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — all right
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — in football
  23. land — a country
  24. kick — a thrill

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