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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — in sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. drill — army training
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. drill — a practice
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. season — of the year
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — help

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