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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — the season
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rash — a series
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rock — to move gently

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