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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. court — of law
  10. hand — help
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. court — of a king
  23. bank — of a river
  24. plane — in geometry

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