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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — a series
  3. land — ground
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — hasty
  7. dip — to sink
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — a country
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. land — to come down
  23. can — a tin
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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