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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — the earth
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chip — for betting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — a straw man

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