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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — a break
  7. cold — not warm
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bass — low music
  15. net — for catching
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — after costs

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