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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. present — the time now
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — to recline
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fall — the season
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. present — there
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. toast — bread
  23. present — a gift
  24. roll — a cake

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