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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pop — soda
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pop — music
  6. last — final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. spring — of water
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. date — the fruit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — for dancing
  19. drill — army training
  20. spring — a coil
  21. last — finally
  22. pop — to visit
  23. last — to go on
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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