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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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. track — to keep track
  3. content — happy
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. track — a song
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. squash — the sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. track — a path
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. content — the amount
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bat — in an idiom

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