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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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. mate — a partner
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mate — a friend

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