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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 turn the ________________ on?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ground — crushed
  5. object — an aim
  6. rule — a law
  7. ground — a position
  8. craft — boats
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — a box
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. object — a thing
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — to protest
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — for digging

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