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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. land — a country
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chest — a box
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lean — to bend
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lean — thin
  15. land — ground
  16. toast — bread
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. roll — a list
  19. row — a line
  20. land — to come down
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chest — of your body
  24. vault — a safe

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