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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to confront
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. bound — certain
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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