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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. net — in sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spell — letters
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — after costs
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bound — certain
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — for catching
  24. deal — a big deal

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