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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chest — a box
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cell — a phone
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bear — the animal
  21. key — in music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bear — to put up with

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