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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. last — finally
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bank — of a river
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. last — to go on
  9. bank — for money
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — the tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. drill — a practice
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — army training
  21. bound — certain
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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