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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bat — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. object — to protest
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. object — a thing
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. content — the amount
  19. pit — in a race
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. object — an aim
  24. wind — to turn a key

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