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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. field — for sport
  4. foot — a measure
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. field — farmland
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. sharp — clever
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fork — to eat with

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