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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. race — a contest
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. safe — out of danger

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