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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ball — a dance
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mug — a cup
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mug — a face
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. current — happening now
  15. stem — to come from
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. current — electric
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. current — of water

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