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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mine — for digging
  18. plane — a tool
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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