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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. sharp — clever
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — a line
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. tear — to rip
  19. key — in music
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. row — to paddle

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