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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. spell — magic
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — to rip
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — a short time
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — letters

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