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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. kid — child
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — for light
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. wind — moving air
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — the season
  24. wind — moving air

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