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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. lie — to recline
  3. content — the amount
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — happy
  13. game — a match
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — the animal

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