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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. court — of law
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. file — a tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. court — of a king
  13. file — a line of people
  14. capital — money
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mine — belonging to me

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