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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kick — in football
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — in sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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