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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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Word bank
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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. spell — letters
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spell — magic
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spell — a short time
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — boats
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — a match
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. game — a kind of play

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