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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tear — to rip
  3. suit — in cards
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mate — a friend
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. branch — a division
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. suit — to fit
  16. mate — a partner
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. game — wild animals

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