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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a document
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. field — a subject
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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