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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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. rash — a series
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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