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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bound — certain
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — to come down
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — a series
  14. pit — a hole
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — a country
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ground — a position
  24. land — ground

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