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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. field — for sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — farmland
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — a subject
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — to point toward

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