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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. firm — decided
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. firm — a company
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — steady
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rash — a series
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — low music
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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