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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 124 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bank — of a river
  12. content — happy
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bank — for money
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bank — for money
  21. club — a group
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitch — completely

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