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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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. lash — an eyelash
  3. bound — certain
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — child
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. band — a music group
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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