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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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Word bank
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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: track · bay · foot · sharp · land · net · wound · bore

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. net — in sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. land — to come down
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. land — a country
  10. foot — a measure
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bore — to drill
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a song
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bore — to tire
  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