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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cold — an illness
  6. firm — a company
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spell — a short time
  9. firm — decided
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. row — a line
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. firm — steady
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. deal — to handle
  18. track — a song
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. row — to paddle

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