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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. craft — boats
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — in a road
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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