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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. last — final
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. last — finally
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rock — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — to go on
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rock — a stone
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fine — all right
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fine — high quality

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