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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: wind · mark · kick · bay · arm · squash · mine · pitch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kick — in football
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. arm — part of the body

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