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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. file — a tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bat — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bank — of a river
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lean — to bend
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hand — help
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bank — for money
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lean — thin
  24. bank — for money

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