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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fall — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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