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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. file — a document
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. race — humankind
  8. file — a tool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. vault — a safe
  12. race — a contest
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pound — a weight
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fine — all right
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a line of people
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a path
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. track — a song

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