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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. present — there
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — a subject
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — a gift
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tube — a container
  14. field — farmland
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. present — the time now
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — for sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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