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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rash — a series
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — a path
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — the vegetable

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