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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. band — a rubber band
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. band — a music group
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cap — a lid
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lean — thin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  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