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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · bay · chest · cap · wind · sharp · saw · can

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — clever
  5. can — a tin
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — a box
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — of ice
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — a hat

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