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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. club — a group
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. field — a subject
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — size or range
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. game — wild animals
  13. club — for golf
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pass — a permit
  19. field — for sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wound — an injury

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