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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — a country
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — magic
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — letters
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stand — to bear
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — to come down

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