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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 120 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: bay · wave · foot · court · cold · spell · deal · lean

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lean — thin
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. court — of a king
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cold — not warm
  19. court — of law
  20. spell — magic
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — for sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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