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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lean — thin
  4. firm — steady
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. current — of water
  8. cell — in biology
  9. band — a ring
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. firm — a company
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. firm — decided
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. band — a music group
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — an explosive

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