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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rest — a break
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. staff — employees
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. season — of the year
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — what's left
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — to go on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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