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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bore — to drill
  11. scale — in music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. land — ground

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