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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — farmland
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. field — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — to come down
  9. content — the amount
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. land — ground
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rest — a break
  21. field — a subject
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. content — happy

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