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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — help
  3. chest — a box
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — happening now
  10. lean — thin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — electric
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. current — of water
  24. wound — an injury

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