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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rule — government
  24. cold — not warm

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