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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 · rush · face · wound · dip · season · toast · bay

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. face — to confront
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rush — hurry
  13. track — to keep track
  14. season — of the year
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. track — a song
  23. season — in sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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