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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pass — a permit
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. last — finally
  16. game — a match
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rash — a series
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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