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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — a position
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. suit — to fit
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bound — obliged
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. suit — in cards
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ground — crushed
  22. suit — clothes
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — a straw man

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