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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. row — a line
  3. spell — a short time
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a city
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. scale — in music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — money

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