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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. charge — in control
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. shower — rain
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stem — to come from
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — a price
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. can — to be able to
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. sharp — clever
  21. can — a tin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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