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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. row — a line
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — to paddle

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