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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mug — a face
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mug — a cup
  17. scale — in music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bowl — a dish

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