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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — to go on
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — happening now
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. current — of water
  21. last — finally
  22. current — electric
  23. rock — a stone
  24. racket — a loud noise

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