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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. charge — in control
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — a short time
  6. race — a contest
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — after costs
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. net — in sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. last — to go on
  16. charge — electricity
  17. net — for catching
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. last — final
  22. spell — letters
  23. race — the arms race
  24. last — finally

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