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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cold — an illness
  3. staff — employees
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. present — the time now
  19. tube — a container
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. dip — to sink
  22. present — a gift
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. present — there

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