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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ground — a position
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — a leader
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a match
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ball — a dance
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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