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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: leaves · hide · foot · arm · file · kid · bay · roll

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kid — to tease
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. roll — a list
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. roll — a cake
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a document
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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