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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — of the year
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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