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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. object — to protest
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. charge — a price
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — an aim
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. object — a thing
  20. charge — in control
  21. field — farmland
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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