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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. firm — steady
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. field — farmland
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — a subject
  10. key — in music
  11. firm — decided
  12. clip — a video
  13. firm — a company
  14. chest — a box
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. racket — a loud noise

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