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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — a subject
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — all right
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — for sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cabinet — ministers

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