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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: bay · fine · bat · tube · chest · row · pass · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — a line
  3. field — farmland
  4. fine — high quality
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chest — a box
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — a container
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — all right
  24. row — a quarrel

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