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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. capital — money
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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