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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. season — of the year
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. saw — the tool

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