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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — letters
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — the sport
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — all right
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rash — a series
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fine — a penalty

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