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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — a country
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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