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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. shower — to wash
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — a measure
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. ball — a great time
  24. foot — part of the body

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