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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — farmland
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. club — for golf
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. club — a group
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. field — for sport
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. field — a subject
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stand — for spectators

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