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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. shower — to wash
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. track — a path
  5. clip — to cut
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. shower — rain
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. track — to keep track
  20. board — a committee
  21. track — a song
  22. board — to get on
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pass — a permit

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