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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mark — a grade
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kid — child
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — to tease
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — to confront
  18. toast — bread
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mark — a trace
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — part of the head

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