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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — final
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — a path
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. field — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — a division
  17. last — finally
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bat — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. branch — of a tree

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