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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cap — a hat
  3. kid — child
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kid — to tease
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. game — a match
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cap — of ice
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hand — in cards
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — help
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bay — a horse colour

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