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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. rush — to hurry
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. chair — a leader
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tube — a container
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. perch — the fish
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — completely
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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