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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — to confront
  5. rest — a break
  6. spell — magic
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. drill — army training
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — to visit
  20. face — part of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tube — the underground
  24. face — to point toward

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