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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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — in biology
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — a hat
  16. snap — to click
  17. mug — to rob
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mug — a cup
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mug — a face
  24. perch — the fish

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