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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 124 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. track — a path
  3. lean — thin
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. current — happening now
  11. track — a song
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. current — of water
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lean — to bend
  18. tear — to rip
  19. deal — to handle
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — electric
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. deal — an agreement

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