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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pass — a permit
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. content — the amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. object — to protest
  23. content — happy
  24. track — a path

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