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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — a signal
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a path
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cue — a hint
  14. track — a song
  15. spring — of water
  16. swing — to play on
  17. march — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. swing — music
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spring — the season

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