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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 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — a skill
  5. last — finally
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spring — the season
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rock — music
  15. craft — boats
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. last — final
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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