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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fine — all right
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mine — for digging
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. board — a flat piece

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