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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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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. race — the arms race
  9. can — a tin
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — in sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — for sport
  14. chair — a leader
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — to point toward
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. field — a subject
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — for catching
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — to sit on

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