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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mate — a friend
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — child
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bank — of a river
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. row — a line
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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