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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. staff — employees
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. clip — for paper
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. chip — to eat
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. shower — rain
  14. ball — a great time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chip — for betting
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — in sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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