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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tube — a container
  3. last — finally
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ground — crushed
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — of the year
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — in sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bore — to drill

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