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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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. suit — in cards
  3. net — for catching
  4. spring — the season
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. drill — army training
  9. suit — clothes
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. spring — of water
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. suit — to fit
  17. net — after costs
  18. drill — the tool
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. last — to go on
  22. net — in sport
  23. spring — a coil
  24. drill — a practice

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