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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. fine — high quality
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — rain
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lean — to bend
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. file — a tool
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cap — of ice

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