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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: mug · pop · file · roll · cap · chest · bay · game

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mug — a face
  8. file — a document
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chest — a box
  13. file — a tool
  14. roll — a list
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chest — of your body
  20. game — a match
  21. roll — a cake
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pop — soda
  24. game — a kind of play

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