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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. object — an aim
  4. file — a tool
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spring — of water
  11. object — a thing
  12. cold — not warm
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. file — a document
  19. bass — low music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — the season
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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