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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. land — to come down
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. field — for sport
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. season — of the year
  9. field — a subject
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — a country
  20. field — farmland
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. ball — a round shape

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