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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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. bay — a horse colour
  3. cell — a phone
  4. branch — a division
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — the amount
  8. cue — a hint
  9. shower — rain
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cue — a signal
  24. content — happy

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