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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. toast — bread
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. field — farmland
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — a hat
  12. field — a subject
  13. bound — tied together
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — certain
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cap — a lid

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