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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — a box
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. foot — a measure
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. file — a line of people
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. can — to be able to
  19. file — a document
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a tool
  24. chest — of your body

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