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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — a song
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — a line
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. board — to get on
  21. row — to paddle
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — a practice

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