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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: plane · mug · rash · chair · bound · field · bay · snap

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. field — for sport
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mug — to rob
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rash — a series
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — a subject
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — certain
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bound — tied together
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. plane — a tool

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