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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — of the year
  23. field — farmland
  24. ball — a great time

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