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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wax — to grow
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. shower — rain
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — certain
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bound — obliged
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chair — a professorship

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