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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. board — to get on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. board — a committee
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bay — a horse colour

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