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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. kid — child
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rock — music
  10. board — a committee
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. board — to get on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. march — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rock — to move gently

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