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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. track — a path
  2. spring — the season
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a ring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mug — a cup
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. spring — of water
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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