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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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. ground — a position
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cold — not warm
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. track — to keep track
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. kid — child
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — an illness
  17. present — the time now
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — to push
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. 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