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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fall — the season
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rash — a series
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fall — to drop

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