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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. march — the month
  3. clip — for paper
  4. track — a song
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. track — to keep track
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a path
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bore — to drill
  23. court — for sport
  24. bore — to tire

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