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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chip — for betting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. file — a document
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. snap — to click

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