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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — after costs
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lie — an untruth

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