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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. net — after costs
  3. cell — a phone
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. foot — a measure
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. race — the arms race
  11. lean — thin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to bend
  14. race — humankind
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. snap — to click
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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