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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. field — a subject
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — farmland
  16. race — humankind
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. field — for sport
  21. shower — rain
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wind — moving air

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