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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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. bay — a horse colour
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. shower — rain
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — in biology
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chair — a leader
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cell — in a prison

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