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

Word bank: stick · bore · bowl · arm · wind · sharp · bay · net

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bore — to tire
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. sharp — clever
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — in sport
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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