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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. squash — the sport
  2. last — finally
  3. face — part of the head
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spring — the season
  6. bound — tied together
  7. last — final
  8. bound — certain
  9. file — a tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a line of people
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spring — a coil
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — of water
  21. file — a document
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. safe — out of danger
  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