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

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — farmland
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. field — a subject
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — the sport
  18. file — a document
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. file — a tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spell — a short time

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