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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. jam — a tight spot

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