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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kid — child
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. charge — a price
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rash — a series
  21. charge — in control
  22. saw — the tool
  23. charge — electricity
  24. rash — on the skin

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