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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. track — a song
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. track — a path
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — finally
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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