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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. track — a path
  4. clip — a video
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. charge — a price
  11. track — to keep track
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. charge — electricity

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