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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. drill — a practice
  3. can — a tin
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. drill — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. drill — army training
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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