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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bass — the fish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. capital — a city
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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