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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tear — from crying
  24. saw — the tool

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