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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — letters
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. spell — a short time
  9. present — the time now
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. band — a ring
  13. bass — low music
  14. present — there
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. track — a song
  20. face — to confront
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spell — magic
  23. present — a gift
  24. face — part of the head

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