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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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. lash — to lash out
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. court — of a king
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. track — to keep track
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spell — a short time
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — magic
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lash — an eyelash

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