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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 120 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: wound · field · game · snap · bay · season · cue · pit

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — of the year
  6. field — a subject
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to click
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — in sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. field — for sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cue — for pool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — farmland
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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