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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wake — a trail
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — of water
  12. mine — for digging
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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