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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. board — to get on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. craft — boats
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bat — in an idiom

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