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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. court — for sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. scale — in music
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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