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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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. land — to come down
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. land — a country
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. land — ground
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — not warm
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. face — to confront
  24. leaves — lets stay

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