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

Word bank: bay · pit · straw · ruler · mine · club · wake · wind

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. club — a group
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. club — for golf
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pit — in a race
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. straw — dry grass

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