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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — a series
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. season — in sport
  6. key — for a lock
  7. last — finally
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — final
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. key — in music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — to go on
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bay — a horse colour

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