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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rock — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. file — a document
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spell — magic
  11. rock — a stone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — letters
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. nail — for a hammer

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