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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. dip — to sink
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bass — the fish
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kid — to tease
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — for sport
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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