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

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fine — all right
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rash — a series
  14. bound — tied together
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — certain
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fine — high quality
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bound — obliged

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