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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. key — in music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — final
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chest — of your body
  15. last — finally
  16. key — for a lock
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chest — a box
  24. last — to go on

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