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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. snap — to click
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. current — happening now
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — in sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. current — electric
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — of the year
  24. current — of water

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