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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bound — certain
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fall — the season
  13. kick — in football
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fall — to drop

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