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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a music group
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. file — a line of people
  9. last — final
  10. band — a ring
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. file — a document
  16. last — to go on
  17. file — a tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. last — finally
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a rubber band

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