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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — of law
  12. mate — a friend
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. court — of a king
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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