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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. roll — a cake
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — magic
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — after costs
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a committee
  13. shower — rain
  14. net — in sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. board — to get on
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spell — a short time
  19. roll — a list
  20. spell — letters
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bay — a horse colour

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