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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bound — tied together
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — certain
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. dip — a sauce

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