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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: stem · bay · kid · toast · ball · hand · foot · present

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. present — a gift
  3. ball — a great time
  4. present — the time now
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. foot — a measure
  10. hand — help
  11. stem — to come from
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. ball — a dance
  18. toast — bread
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. present — there

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