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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — happening now
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. spell — letters
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — magic
  11. snap — to click
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — in music
  24. season — of the year

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