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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. last — final
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mine — for digging
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. last — to go on
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — finally

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