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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. mate — to breed
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. press — a publisher
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — ground
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — newspapers
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — a country
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hand — part of the body
  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