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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. court — of law
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — for sport
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cell — in biology
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cell — a phone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. present — a gift
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. court — of a king
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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