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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. plane — a tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — a coil
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. spring — of water
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spring — the season

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