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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. land — a country
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. land — to come down
  16. toast — bread
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. track — a path
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. band — a rubber band

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