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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: dip · mug · bay · firm · wake · field · bat · drill

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mug — a cup
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mug — a face
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bat — the animal
  11. firm — steady
  12. field — farmland
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. firm — decided
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. dip — to sink
  19. field — for sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. field — a subject

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