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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. last — final
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rock — music
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hand — help
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — for baseball

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