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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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. object — an aim
  3. last — final
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. object — to protest
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — of water
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tube — a container
  22. last — finally
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ball — a dance

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