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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 120 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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. wax — to grow
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mug — to rob
  5. track — a path
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a song
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — child
  23. mug — a face
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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