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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: bay · tube · ground · straw · last · row · jam · track

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. last — to go on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. track — a song
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. last — final
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. track — to keep track
  15. row — a line
  16. ground — crushed
  17. track — a path
  18. ground — a position
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — finally
  24. tube — the underground

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