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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · rest · mate · spell · kick · spring · row · arm

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — letters
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spring — the season
  5. rest — a break
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — of water
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kick — in football
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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