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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. press — to push
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. season — in sport
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rock — music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cold — an illness
  14. spell — magic
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — letters
  20. rash — a series
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — of the year
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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