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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — final
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — to go on
  11. squash — the sport
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pop — music
  20. last — finally
  21. mine — for digging
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. straw — a straw man

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