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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chest — of your body
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. row — a line
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. prune — to trim

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