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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wake — a trail
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fall — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. game — wild animals
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. club — a group
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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