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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — a tool
  5. swing — music
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — to play on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. swing — in golf
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. shower — rain
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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