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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. field — a subject
  11. chest — of your body
  12. season — in sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — after costs
  18. season — to add flavour

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