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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pop — soda
  12. roll — a list
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pop — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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