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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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. game — a match
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitch — completely
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. drill — army training
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. drill — the tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — in football
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitch — a sports field

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