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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. nail — on a finger

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