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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. suit — in cards
  4. file — a tool
  5. land — ground
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. land — a country
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cell — in biology
  21. land — to come down
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bat — the animal
  24. file — a document

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