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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. present — there
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hand — in cards
  5. present — the time now
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hand — help
  8. lean — to bend
  9. last — final
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. present — a gift
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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