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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. land — to come down
  3. tear — to rip
  4. land — ground
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — for sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — a subject
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. land — a country
  15. mug — a face
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. craft — boats
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. craft — a skill

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