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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a line of people
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. file — a document
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. file — a tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. foot — part of the body

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