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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. current — happening now
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. march — the month
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. march — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. march — the month
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. roll — a list
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. roll — a cake

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