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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — for digging
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bound — certain
  24. rush — to hurry

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