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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — a song
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. last — final
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. last — finally
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kid — to tease
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — in a race
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. can — a tin
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitcher — a jug

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