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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — government
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a music group
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — to get on
  13. spell — magic
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — a committee
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spell — letters
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rule — a law
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. band — a ring
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spell — a short time

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