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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cap — a lid
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mate — to breed
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — for sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. field — a subject

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