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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. last — final
  8. club — for dancing
  9. last — finally
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. club — for golf
  16. season — of the year
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. club — a group
  20. season — in sport
  21. content — happy
  22. bore — to drill
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — to add flavour

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