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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — obliged
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bound — certain
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. last — final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. court — for sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. race — humankind
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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