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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rock — a stone
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — to shout

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