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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — the season
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — a trace
  10. track — a path
  11. bear — the animal
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — soda
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bear — the animal
  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