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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. march — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. current — electric

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