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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tube — a container
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. drill — a practice
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — the underground
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — a tin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. swing — music
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. drill — army training

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