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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. roll — a list
  6. capital — money
  7. hand — help
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — of your body
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. roll — a cake
  18. capital — a city
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. object — a thing
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. object — to protest
  24. chest — a box

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