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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. present — the time now
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cue — a signal
  6. present — a gift
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lean — thin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spell — magic
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — there
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kid — child

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