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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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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: bay · can · spell · pitcher · cold · lean · cabinet · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. spell — magic
  3. lean — to bend
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — not warm
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spell — a short time
  24. can — a tin

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