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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. swing — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pop — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bound — tied together
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pop — to visit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. track — a song

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