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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — farmland
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — finally
  14. track — a path
  15. field — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — a subject
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kid — to tease

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