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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · bay · wind · kid · bound · bass · mark · pit

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kid — child
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mark — a grade
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — tied together
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — obliged
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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