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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. land — a country
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. present — the time now
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. foot — a measure
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. present — a gift
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — to come down
  21. tear — to rip
  22. land — ground
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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