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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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. last — to go on
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — finally
  6. bound — certain
  7. present — there
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bank — for money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. present — a gift
  14. last — final
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. bank — of a river
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. present — the time now
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — not warm

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