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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. land — a country
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. land — ground
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cap — a hat
  14. row — a line
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — to come down

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