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

Word bank: mouse · field · safe · chest · lie · bay · racket · file

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. file — a tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — a subject
  18. chest — a box
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — an untruth

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