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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rock — a stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. file — a document
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rock — music
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. file — a line of people
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kick — in football

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