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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. scale — in music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — in sport
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. deal — to handle
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — the animal

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