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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — in music
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ruler — for measuring

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