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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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Word bank
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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: straw · date · foot · roll · rash · nail · kick · bay

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rash — a series
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kick — in football
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. roll — a list
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. roll — a cake
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rash — hasty
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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