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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. track — a path
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. net — after costs
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — the underground
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — a container
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — the animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. coach — a trainer

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