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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. craft — boats
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — to turn a key

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