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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — letters
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. season — of the year
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spell — a short time
  16. key — in music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bat — in an idiom

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