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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bound — tied together
  5. content — the amount
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — for sport
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pop — soda
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of law
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. court — of a king

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