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

Word bank: wind · rock · bay · pit · cap · arm · fine · file

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fine — all right
  18. file — a tool
  19. rock — music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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