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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. rock — a stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. court — for sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. court — of a king
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. court — of law

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