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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a path
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rash — a series
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ruler — for measuring

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