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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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. saw — the tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. squash — the sport
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. field — for sport
  16. bass — low music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bass — the fish
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — hasty
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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