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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. key — in music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. roll — a list
  14. last — final
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stem — to come from
  24. roll — a cake

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