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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cue — a signal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kid — child
  9. track — a song
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — to tease
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — for digging
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cue — a hint

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