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

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. track — a path
  7. tear — from crying
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — a song
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tear — from crying
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mark — a trace
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bowl — a football final

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