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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spring — of water
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — electric
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. spring — a coil
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. current — happening now
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. scale — size or range
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. saw — the tool
  24. current — of water

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