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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. clip — to cut
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ground — crushed
  20. clip — a video
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ground — a position

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