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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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. file — a tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — help
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. face — part of the head
  11. file — a line of people
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — a group
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. file — a document
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — in cards

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