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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · pit · bowl · field · bay · cell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. squash — the sport

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