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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — letters
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. track — a path
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. track — a song
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spell — a short time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — magic

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