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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. chair — a leader
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rock — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — rain
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lie — to recline

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