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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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. band — a music group
  3. scale — in music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — in sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — size or range
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chest — a box
  24. ruler — for measuring

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