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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lean — to bend
  10. key — in music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — thin
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — army training
  19. field — for sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — in sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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