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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kid — to tease
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — child
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — all right
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fine — high quality
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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