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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — finally
  7. wake — a trail
  8. craft — boats
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. last — to go on
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. track — a song
  17. field — a subject
  18. craft — a skill
  19. last — final
  20. band — a music group
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. track — a path

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