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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — to keep track
  4. last — to go on
  5. track — a path
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — finally
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a song
  21. lean — thin
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hide — to keep secret

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