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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. land — to come down
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pop — soda
  17. cold — not warm
  18. land — a country
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. land — ground
  22. bass — low music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chair — a leader

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