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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spring — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rock — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spring — of water
  18. bay — a horse colour

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