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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chest — a box
  18. club — a group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. field — a subject
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. field — farmland

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