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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. spell — letters
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. spell — a short time
  8. present — there
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. file — a document
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spell — magic
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rash — a series
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. board — to get on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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