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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. race — a contest
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. race — humankind
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a leader
  23. land — ground
  24. vault — a safe

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