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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. pit — a fruit stone
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cue — a hint
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — a path
  10. pound — a weight
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. face — to confront
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. key — in music
  18. toast — bread
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cue — for pool
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — part of the head

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