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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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. hide — to keep secret
  3. row — a line
  4. last — final
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — to go on
  8. present — a gift
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a ring
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. foot — a measure
  19. last — finally
  20. present — there
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. present — the time now
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. row — to paddle

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