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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — a song
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. track — a path
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. track — to keep track

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