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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tear — from crying
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — magic
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ball — a great time
  11. file — a document
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. band — a music group
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. file — a tool

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