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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — farmland
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. field — for sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rash — on the skin

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