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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. vault — a safe
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — shares
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. season — in sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. track — a path
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. track — a song
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stock — a soup base

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