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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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. hide — to keep secret
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — there
  5. chest — a box
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. can — to be able to
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. present — the time now
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — a gift
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. can — a tin

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