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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. board — to get on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a path
  12. sharp — clever
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. track — a song
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. board — a committee
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. band — a music group

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