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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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. content — videos and posts
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kick — in football
  14. spell — magic
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. content — the amount
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. spell — letters
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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