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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. track — a song
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stand — to bear
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. track — a path
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. scale — size or range
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stand — for spectators

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