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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. drill — army training
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. ball — a great time
  7. clip — a video
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — in music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bark — to shout
  21. key — for a lock
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. key — the most important part

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