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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. roll — a list
  3. spell — letters
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. roll — a cake
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — wild animals
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. shower — rain

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