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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.

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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. cell — a phone
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bat — the animal
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. cap — a lid
  23. object — an aim
  24. fork — in a road

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