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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bass — low music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bass — the instrument

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