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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. game — a match
  6. drill — a practice
  7. season — in sport
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. season — of the year
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. drill — army training
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. prune — to trim

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