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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spell — magic
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. march — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spell — letters
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. last — finally
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — to go on
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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