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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: bay · track · mug · deal · bass · kid · lie · bowl

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — a song
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mug — a face
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. track — a path
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — child
  15. lie — to recline
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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