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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rock — a stone
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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