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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. net — in sport
  4. march — the month
  5. field — a subject
  6. ground — a position
  7. field — farmland
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. march — the month
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. ground — crushed
  20. firm — decided
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. firm — a company
  23. march — music
  24. net — after costs

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