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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 116 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. field — a subject
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. object — to protest
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. field — farmland
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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