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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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. chip — to eat
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chip — for betting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. shower — rain
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — a hole
  23. file — a tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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