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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. club — for golf
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. clip — to cut
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rash — a series
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. club — a group
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mark — a grade
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. clip — a video
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rash — on the skin

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