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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ground — a position
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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