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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mine — for digging
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. racket — for tennis

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