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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. last — finally
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bank — for money
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — of a river
  12. last — final
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. swing — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. last — to go 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