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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. firm — steady
  4. ball — a dance
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. band — a ring
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ball — a great time
  12. field — farmland
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. firm — decided
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a music group
  22. firm — a company
  23. field — a subject
  24. saw — the tool

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