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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — magic
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — a country
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — a partner
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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