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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — of the year
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — belonging to me

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