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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wake — a trail
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — a straw man

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