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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cell — a phone
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — to pay attention

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