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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — for betting
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chair — a leader
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. shower — rain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — on the skin

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