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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. drill — the tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. last — final
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. drill — army training
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — all right
  24. stand — for spectators

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