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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. last — final
  5. court — of a king
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. last — finally
  9. court — for sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. land — ground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — to go on
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. tear — to rip
  19. club — a group
  20. land — a country
  21. court — of law
  22. land — to come down
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a cup

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