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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 120 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 help me carry this box?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. race — humankind
  6. can — a tin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — a match
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bound — certain
  16. field — a subject
  17. race — a contest
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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