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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. cold — an illness
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — of water
  6. date — the fruit
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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