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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. last — to go on
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. last — finally
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. last — final
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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