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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — certain
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. track — a path
  8. bound — tied together
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. track — a song
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — obliged
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. track — to keep track

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