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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — finally
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — thin
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. drill — army training
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. last — final

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