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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. fan — to cool the air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rest — a break
  16. hand — help
  17. tube — a container
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — in music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chair — to sit on

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