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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ball — a great time
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cue — for pool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. roll — a list
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cold — an illness

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