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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. field — farmland
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. field — for sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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