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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kid — child
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. kid — to tease
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — a signal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. clip — for paper

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