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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — music
  4. rest — a break
  5. mug — to rob
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mug — a face
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. court — for sport
  19. row — a line
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — of law
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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