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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. game — wild animals
  4. row — a line
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. staff — employees
  9. spell — a short time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mine — for digging
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. staff — a stick
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — employees
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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