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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — certain
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — finally
  8. net — for catching
  9. wake — a trail
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. bound — obliged
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mouse — the animal

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