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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — to move gently

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