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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. shower — rain
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. current — happening now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bat — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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