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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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Word bank
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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — a law
  13. file — a tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — government
  22. file — a document
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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