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

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. field — for sport
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitch — completely
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. field — a subject
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lash — to lash out

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