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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. row — to paddle
  4. can — a tin
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — certain
  7. cold — an illness
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rush — a thrill

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