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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. track — a path
  3. drill — a practice
  4. present — the time now
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — army training
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. game — a match
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. scale — in music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — there
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals

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