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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tube — a container
  3. field — farmland
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. suit — clothes
  6. tube — the underground
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — for sport
  12. suit — in cards
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. suit — to fit
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ball — a great time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. field — a subject
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spring — of water
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — the season

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