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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: mine · sharp · kid · board · tear · bay · foot · plane

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kid — to tease
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — child
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. plane — a tool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. board — a committee
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — to get on

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