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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. object — a thing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. sharp — clever
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wind — to turn a key

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