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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kid — child
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. lean — thin
  10. land — ground
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. land — to come down
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — to bend
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. track — a song
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a path
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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