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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. last — finally
  5. spell — magic
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. swing — in golf
  11. board — to get on
  12. rule — government
  13. key — for a lock
  14. swing — music
  15. key — in music
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rule — a law
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — to play on
  24. board — a committee

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