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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. field — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. field — a subject
  11. hand — help
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mug — a face
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bear — to put up with

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