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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spell — a short time
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. drill — a practice
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. kid — to tease
  10. perch — the fish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — rain
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spell — letters
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — magic
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — child

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