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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. face — to confront
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mug — a face
  5. file — a document
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mug — a cup
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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