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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. track — a path
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rock — music
  11. land — to come down
  12. content — the amount
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — certain
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bound — tied together
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. track — a song
  24. bound — obliged

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