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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 116 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. net — in sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — a subject
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rest — a break
  18. net — for catching
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. net — after costs
  24. field — for sport

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