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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cap — a lid
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. shower — rain
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. firm — a company
  12. craft — a skill
  13. firm — steady
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cap — of ice
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — to wash
  21. firm — decided
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. craft — boats

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