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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 120 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — happening now
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bat — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. kick — in football
  10. bark — to shout
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. track — a path
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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