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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — money
  15. drill — a practice
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. capital — a city
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — the animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — letters

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