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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: pit · bay · cold · press · lash · track · object · rock

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. object — to protest
  5. press — to push
  6. object — an aim
  7. rock — music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. object — a thing
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pit — a hole
  21. track — a song
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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