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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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. pitch — completely
  3. cell — in biology
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. spring — the season
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bass — low music
  20. drill — army training
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. march — music
  24. bay — a horse colour

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