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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mate — to breed
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cue — a signal
  12. band — a ring
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mate — a friend
  15. press — to push
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bulb — for light
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. band — a music group
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cue — for pool
  24. coach — a trainer

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