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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. ground — a position
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. kid — to tease
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. suit — to fit
  12. kid — child
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. suit — clothes
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. suit — in cards
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. racket — for tennis

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