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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — a position
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — for catching
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — of the year
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. rest — a break
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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