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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bank — of a river
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — rain
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bank — for money
  21. last — finally
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mouse — for a computer

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