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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · pit · fall · bark · last · hand · saw · mouse

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — final
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hand — help
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hand — part of the body

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