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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. swing — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. swing — to play on
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — a box
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rash — a series
  23. race — humankind
  24. swing — in golf

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