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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — ground
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — to come down
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chair — a leader

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