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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. bat — for baseball
  3. board — to get on
  4. rock — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — to protest
  7. spring — the season
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. board — a committee
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. object — an aim
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. object — a thing
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. board — a flat piece

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