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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. last — finally
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — the earth
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rest — a break
  13. bore — to drill
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — to go on
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. net — in sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — final
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bore — gave birth

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