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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. present — a gift
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. present — the time now
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. drill — army training

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