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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cold — an illness
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rule — government
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rule — a law
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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