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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — a line
  9. bore — to drill
  10. board — a committee
  11. cap — a hat
  12. board — to get on
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. row — to paddle
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. march — music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. march — the month

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