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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 116 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. track — a song
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — electric
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — a path
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — money
  12. current — of water
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — finally
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — final
  18. capital — a city
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — certain
  24. season — of the year

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