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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chair — a leader
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. can — a tin
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. can — a tin
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kick — in football
  22. pound — a weight
  23. can — to be able to
  24. file — a tool

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