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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — of the year
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — a series
  15. season — in sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rash — hasty
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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