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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. tube — a container
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. game — a match
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stock — goods
  20. field — farmland
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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