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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. field — for sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — ground
  6. field — farmland
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. sharp — clever
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. land — a country
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. land — to come down
  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