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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. present — a gift
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — there
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. key — for a lock
  22. present — the time now
  23. key — in music
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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