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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kid — child
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lean — to bend
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mine — for digging
  19. shower — rain
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bay — a horse colour

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