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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. pop — music
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bank — for money
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bank — for money
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pop — soda

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