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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. board — to get on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cap — a lid
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. game — a match
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — a committee
  16. cap — of ice
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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