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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — ground
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — to come down
  13. pop — to visit
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. land — a country
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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