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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — the time now
  3. field — a subject
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. season — in sport
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kid — child
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — to confront
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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