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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. march — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — low music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — the fish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. capital — a city
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mine — belonging to me

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