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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. field — farmland
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — in control
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. field — a subject
  18. object — a thing
  19. tube — a container
  20. charge — electricity
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cold — an illness

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