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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — to tease
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. season — of the year
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — hurry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rash — a series

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