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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. pass — a permit
  3. field — for sport
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — a subject
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. field — farmland
  18. spell — letters
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mark — a grade
  24. straw — dry grass

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