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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. march — the month
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. march — the month
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. land — ground
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mug — a face
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — music
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  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