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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. club — for golf
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. club — a group
  6. land — a country
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kid — child
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — to tease
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. track — a path
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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