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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. field — a subject
  6. land — to come down
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — for sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. land — ground
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. can — a tin

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