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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mark — a grade
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rash — hasty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. drill — the tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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