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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cap — a hat
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — a group
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. club — for dancing
  15. staff — employees
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. club — for golf
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — rain

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