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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. suit — to fit
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — for sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — all right
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cold — an illness
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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