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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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. hide — to keep secret
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. key — for a lock
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. ground — a position
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — shares
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. key — in music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — the sport
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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