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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. current — happening now
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — of water
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. current — electric
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. drill — the tool
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. drill — army training
  23. scale — size or range
  24. prune — the fruit

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