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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. track — a song
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — moving air
  13. charge — a price
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stock — goods
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. track — a path
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. press — to push
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. charge — in control
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. press — newspapers

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