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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. capital — money
  7. cold — an illness
  8. file — a document
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. file — a tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — not warm

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