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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. last — finally
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rule — government
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — a law
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — music
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. net — in sport
  20. track — a path
  21. last — final
  22. net — after costs
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. track — to keep track

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