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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. face — part of the head
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. content — the amount
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — in cards
  24. content — happy

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