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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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. nail — for a hammer
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — letters
  8. band — a ring
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. content — happy
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. content — the amount
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. firm — steady
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spell — magic
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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