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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — help
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. capital — money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. capital — a city
  16. ball — a great time
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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