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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — a hole
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cold — an illness
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. charge — a price
  10. can — a tin
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pit — in a race
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lean — to bend
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — in control

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