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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — to go on
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. last — finally
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lean — to bend
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — a friend
  21. last — final
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. board — a committee

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