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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. snap — to click
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — soda
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cap — a hat
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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