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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pit — a hole

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