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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — of law
  5. land — ground
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — a country
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pop — to visit
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. court — for sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. court — of a king
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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