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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: rash · wind · pit · bay · key · staff · cold · object

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. key — in music
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a hole
  8. object — an aim
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. object — a thing
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. object — to protest
  22. rash — a series
  23. key — the most important part
  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