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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. track — a path
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. present — there
  12. chest — a box
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — a gift
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  24. present — the time now

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