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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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. bay — a horse colour
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. firm — a company
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. row — a line
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. firm — steady
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — to paddle
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. game — a match
  24. firm — decided

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