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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — a position
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — completely
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ground — crushed
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — to wash
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. tube — a container

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