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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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. wound — an injury
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. fall — the season
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — a contest
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — the arms race
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. spell — magic
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. spell — letters
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — humankind
  24. mark — a trace

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