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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chest — a box
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — final
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mine — belonging to me

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