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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rash — a series
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. content — the amount
  16. field — farmland
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. field — for sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitch — completely

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