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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 124 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. field — a subject
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to click
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. can — to be able to
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. season — of the year
  18. can — a tin
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. field — farmland

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