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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. toast — bread
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. board — a committee
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. track — a path
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — an illness
  19. track — a song
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. date — the fruit

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