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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. field — for sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chair — a leader
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — farmland
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — a subject

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