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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pop — soda
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — hurry
  5. field — for sport
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — a subject
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. field — farmland
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pop — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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