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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a document
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. file — a line of people
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitch — completely
  22. net — after costs
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. trunk — of a tree

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