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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 116 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: content · wake · field · bay · squash · fine · leaves · game

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fine — high quality
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — farmland
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. squash — the sport
  16. game — a match
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — a subject
  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