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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. ground — crushed
  8. field — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — a position
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rest — a break
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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