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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. game — a match
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — certain
  13. game — wild animals
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — size or range
  22. march — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bound — obliged

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