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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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. hand — help
  3. lean — to bend
  4. clip — a video
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — goods
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. perch — for a bird

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