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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stand — to bear
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. shower — rain
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — to wash
  14. file — a line of people
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. file — a document
  22. spell — letters
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spell — magic

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