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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — help
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. track — a song
  11. lean — to bend
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — thin
  24. content — videos and posts

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