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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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. rash — hasty
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rash — a series
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitch — a sports field

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