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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — of water
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stock — shares
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spring — the season
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stock — goods
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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