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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. land — a country
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — the most important part
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bulb — for light

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