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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. field — for sport
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. file — a document
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. file — a line of people
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. field — farmland
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. field — a subject
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hide — animal skin

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