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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mine — for digging
  9. net — in sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. march — the month
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. suit — in cards
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. key — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. suit — to fit
  22. march — music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mine — belonging to me

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