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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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468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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 — a jug
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — in biology
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rock — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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