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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — electricity
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. last — finally
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. last — final
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. charge — a price
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. board — to get on
  18. last — to go on
  19. board — a committee
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. charge — in control
  24. board — a flat piece

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