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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rash — a series
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pound — a weight
  14. object — an aim
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. object — a thing
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spell — letters

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