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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. file — a line of people
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. net — in sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. file — a tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. net — for catching
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — of ice
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a document
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cap — a hat
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — to bend

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