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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. firm — steady
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. squash — the sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. firm — a company
  8. chest — of your body
  9. firm — decided
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chest — a box
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — hasty
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — to crush
  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