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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. firm — decided
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. spring — the season
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. firm — steady

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