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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — a path
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — certain
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. track — a song
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mine — an explosive

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