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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chip — to eat
  8. track — a path
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. track — a song
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  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