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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. object — to protest
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kick — in football
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — a thing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. object — an aim
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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