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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — soda
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a line
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to confront
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wind — moving air
  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