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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. land — ground
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mug — a face
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a line of people
  17. track — a path
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a document
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bark — to shout
  24. track — a song

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