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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — to keep track
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — a hat
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. kid — child
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — a song
  11. kid — to tease
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cap — a lid
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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