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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rush — hurry
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — a country
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. season — of the year
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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