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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — a series
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. band — a ring
  17. present — the time now
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. field — for sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. field — farmland
  24. band — a rubber band

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