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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. band — a music group
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. charge — electricity
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. charge — a price
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. file — a tool
  21. charge — in control
  22. file — a document
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a ring

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