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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rash — a series
  7. present — a gift
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. present — the time now
  11. cold — not warm
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bass — low music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cold — an illness
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — the fish

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