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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — for sport
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. tear — to rip
  22. content — happy
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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