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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. charge — a price
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mug — a face
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rest — a break

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