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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. land — ground
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spell — magic
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. land — to come down
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — letters
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cap — of ice
  18. 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