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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spring — of water
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a grade
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. race — a contest
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — the arms race
  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