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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. net — after costs
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — for catching
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — music
  8. last — final
  9. net — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — to bend
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. row — a line
  16. last — to go on
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mate — to breed
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mate — a friend

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