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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — for sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. field — a subject
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — a position
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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