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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — for paper
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stock — goods
  17. clip — a video
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stock — shares
  23. season — in sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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