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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. row — a line
  13. sharp — clever
  14. row — to paddle
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — a hint
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cue — for pool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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