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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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. stem — to come from
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. race — the arms race
  7. board — to get on
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bore — to tire
  16. last — final
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — a contest
  21. bore — to drill
  22. toast — bread
  23. last — finally
  24. board — a committee

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