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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — in music
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — government

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