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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. net — in sport
  3. swing — music
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. drill — army training
  6. swing — to play on
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mug — a face
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stem — to come from
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. swing — in golf
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — after costs
  24. stem — a stem cell

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