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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — a line
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. field — a subject
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. row — to paddle
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. capital — a city
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. march — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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