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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. scale — in music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. net — in sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. content — the amount
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rock — music
  15. land — ground
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — a country
  18. content — happy
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — to come down

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