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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · march · lie · game · field · bay · bore · cell

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — farmland
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bore — to drill
  11. field — a subject
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — the month
  20. game — a match
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. field — for sport
  24. spell — letters

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